Action recognition and interpretation using a precision positioning system

ABSTRACT

To facilitate the recognition and interpretation of actions undertaken within an environment, the environment is associated with a precision positioning system (PPS) and a controller in communication with the PPS. Within the environment, an entity moves about in furtherance of one or more tasks to be completed within the environment. The PPS determines position data corresponding to at least a portion of the entity, which position data is subsequently compared with at least one known action corresponding to a predetermined task within the environment. Using a state-based task model, recognized actions may be interpreted and used to initiate at least one system action based on the current state of the task model and correspondence of the position data to the at least one known action. In an embodiment, an entity recognition system provides an identity of the entity to determine whether the entity is authorized to perform an action.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The instant application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/381,902 entitled “ACTION RECOGNITION AND INTERPRETATIONUSING A PRECISION POSITIONING SYSTEM” and filed May 5, 2006, theentirety of which prior application is incorporated herein by thisreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to motion recognition and, inparticular, to techniques for recognizing and interpreting actionswithin an environment using a precision positioning system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Location determination systems are well known in the art. For example,the global positioning satellite (GPS) system may be used to determinethe specific locations of GPS receivers with an accuracy down to a fewmeters. Other land-based location systems are likewise capable ofdetermining a location of an object with a similar degree of accuracy.While such systems work well for the purposes for which they weredesigned, particularly on a large scale (e.g., hundreds or thousands ofmeters), they do not necessarily provide greater understanding of themovement and position data that they provide. Stated another way,although such systems can tell you where a particular object is, theycannot help you understand what that object is doing, why the object ismoving in a certain way or what the object's next movement should be.Equally significant, because of the accuracy provided, such systems areunable to provide any understanding of actions performed on ahuman-scale.

More recently developed technologies, such as so-called ultra wideband(UWB) positioning systems, provide the ability to obtain threedimensional position data with much greater accuracy than previouslyavailable with the above-described systems. For example, a UWB systemcan determine the location of an appropriately configured “tag” with anaccuracy of approximately one foot or less. This level of resolution maybe used to develop a greater understanding of actions (particularly on ahuman scale) and, equally important, an understanding of what thoseactions mean within a given environment. However, such systems have notbeen employed for this purpose. Thus, it would be advantageous toprovide a system that incorporates the use of precision positioningdetermination to recognize and interpret actions undertaken within anenvironment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides techniques for recognizing andinterpreting actions undertaken within an environment. In particular, anenvironment under consideration is associated with a precisionpositioning system (PPS) and a controller in communication with the PPS.Within the environment, an entity moves about in furtherance of one ormore tasks to be completed within the environment. For example, theenvironment may comprise a factory or other industrial setting, and theentity may comprise a worker interacting with elements (e.g., machinery)within the factory. In a presently preferred embodiment, each suchentity is equipped with one or more tags, the position of which may bedetermined by the PPS with a high degree of accuracy. As the entitymoves about within the environment, the PPS (in cooperation with thetag) determines position data corresponding to at least a portion of theentity, i.e., the portion equipped with the tag. The position datadetermined in this manner is subsequently compared with at least oneknown action corresponding to a predetermined task within theenvironment. When the results of this comparison are favorable, i.e.,the position data is well correlated with a known action, the action isrecognized. Using a state-based task model, the recognized action may beinterpreted and used to initiate at least one system action based on thecurrent state of the task model and correspondence of the position datato the at least one known action. In an embodiment, an entityrecognition system provides an identity of the entity to determinewhether the entity is authorized to perform an action.

In another aspect of the present invention, the controller may provideinformation to the entity based on correspondence of the position datato the at least one known action. The at least one known action may bedefined relative to one or more elements residing within or operatingwithin the environment. Further still, a logging controller, incommunication with the controller, may be provided to associate capturedevent data with the recognized action. In this manner, the presentinvention provides the ability to develop an understanding of particularactions carried out within an environment previously not possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention are set forth with particularityin the appended claims. The invention itself, together with furtherfeatures and attended advantages, will become apparent fromconsideration of the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments ofthe present invention are now described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanied drawings wherein like reference numeralsrepresent like elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for recognizing and interpretingactions in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for recognizing an action within anenvironment in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an implementation ofaction recognition and interpretation in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary task model in accordance with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for interpreting actionswithin an environment and logging event data in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, a system 100 for recognizing and interpretingactions in accordance with the present invention is further illustrated.In particular, the system 100 comprises a controller 102 incommunication with a precision positioning system (PPS) 104. Thepositioning system 104 is associated with an environment 106 that, inturn, has one or more entities 108 (only one shown) at least temporarilyresiding or moving therein. Generally, the controller 102 comprises atleast one processor 103 in communication with one or more storagedevices 105. In one embodiment, the at least one processor 103, such asa microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor orcombinations thereof, operates under the control of instructions storedin the one or more storage devices 105, which may comprise suitablevolatile or nonvolatile memory devices such as random access memory(RAM) or read-only memory (ROM). Alternatively, other types of devices,such as programmable logic arrays or application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs) may be used, separately or in combination with eachother or the processor, for this purpose. The controller 102 alsocomprises various components (not shown) for supporting communicationswith the various other system components shown, e.g., wireless ornetwork interfaces. Additionally, the controller 102 may comprise a userinterface allowing a user thereof, such as a system administrator ormanager, to control various operational aspects of the system 100through the controller 102. Techniques for arranging and programming thevarious components of the controller 102 to perform the operationsdescribed herein are well known to those having skill in the art.

Generally, the PPS 104 comprises any system, whether wired or wireless,capable of determining spatial coordinates within a known environment toan accuracy sufficient to distinguish between at least relatively smallmovements of human extremities, e.g., hand motions, body positioning(erect, bent over, prone), etc. In practice, this translates to anaccuracy on the order of one or two feet, or better. Furthermore, thepositioning system 104 need not rely on line of sight operation(although this may be equally employed) and, in a presently preferredembodiment, comprises a UWB system. As known in the art, UWB systems arecapable of wirelessly discriminating spatial coordinates that are lessthan one or two feet apart or, in some systems, even as close as a fewinches apart.

As noted previously, the PPS 104 is associated with the environment 106.That is, the PPS 104 provides a dimensional breadth of coverage suchthat the positioning system 104 is able to determine spatial coordinatesfor entities residing anywhere within the environment 106. Generally,the environment 106 may comprise any physical space that may accommodatethe operation of the PPS 104. However, in a presently preferredembodiment, the environment 106 may comprise an industrial setting suchas a factory, office, or similar environment. The extent or physicaldimensions of the environment is limited only by the capability of thePPS 104 to maintain coverage throughout the entire environment. Asshown, the environment may include one or more entities 108 and one ormore elements 112. In the context of the present invention, an entity108 may comprise anything capable of moving within the environment 106,such as a human being or an automated/semi-automated device (e.g., anindustrial robot), and performing or participating in performance oftasks, as described below. Additionally, in the context of the presentinvention, each element 112 may comprise anything that the entity 108can interact within the environment 106, such as physical objects,whether fixed (e.g., valves, levers, permanent machinery, etc.) ormobile (e.g., hand tools, movable machinery, etc.) or other entities.Furthermore, fixed elements can be in known locations of the environment(in which case, the elements need not be tagged), or locations of mobileelements may be determined through the use of additional tags or throughother location determining means known to those having skill in the art.For example, the locations of fixed objects can be known through planssuch as blueprints, planograms, etc., or can be detected through machinevision, through barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags,etc.

As described above, the PPS 104 may comprise any system capable ofdiscriminating sufficiently small distances regardless of the manner inwhich such discrimination is achieved. However, a presently preferredembodiment incorporates the use of a UWB positioning system that employsthe use of one or more tags 110 (only one shown) that is physicallyassociated with the entity 108. Within an exemplary UWB positioningsystem, the tag 110 comprises an active device that periodicallytransmits signals used by the positioning system 104 to accuratelydetermine spatial coordinates for the tag 110. This is typicallyachieved through the use of a plurality of wireless receivers ordetectors positioned within or in close proximity to the environment 106at accurately known locations. Using known techniques, the detectors, incombination with a suitable controller (not shown), determine thespatial coordinates based on the periodic signals transmitted by the tag110. That is, for each periodic transmission by the tag 110, the PPS 104can determine spatial coordinates for the tag 110. Collectively, thespatial coordinates output by the PPS 104 constitute position data usedby the controller 102 to recognize and interpret actions, as describedin further detail below. The tag 110 is physically associated with theentity 108 and, as a consequence, is able to support the determinationof relatively precise position data for that portion of the entity withwhich it is physically associated. For example, one or more suitabletags can be placed in articles of clothing or other equipment (e.g., ahardhat, gloves, boots, etc.). In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the tag 110 may be physically associated with an extremity ofa human, i.e., on a person's head, arms, legs, hands or feet.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, a communication system 114 may beoperatively coupled to the controller 102 to thereby provide a path to acommunication unit 116 associated with the entity 108. For example, thecommunication system 114 may comprise a wireless communication systemsuch as would be employed to support communications with a cellulartelephone, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer or anyother suitable device capable of providing information to the entity108. However, the present invention is not limited to any particularimplementation of the communication system 114. Optionally, thecommunication system 114 may also be capable of communicating with oneor more of the elements 112 disposed within the environment 106. In thismanner, the controller 102 may obtain information, such as operationalstatus or event alarms, from individual elements for use in loggingoperations described in further detail below. In yet another alternativeembodiment, an additional communication system 122, apart from the firstcommunication system 114, may be provided as a wholly separate systemfor elements 112 to communicate with the controller 102. Once again, thepresent invention is not limited to any particular implementation of theadditional communication system 122.

In furtherance of action recognition and interpretation, the controller102 is coupled to a first database 107 comprising data structurescorresponding to at least one task model. In operation, the controller102 uses the at least one task model, particularly the one or more knownactions defined within each task model, to perform action recognitionand interpretation. As used herein, a task is any process incorporatingrecognizable actions, regardless of complexity, that may be performed byan entity within the environment or portion of the environment. Taskmodels are abstractions of tasks comprising one or more states and knownactions that cause transitions between states. Techniques forimplementing state-based models as data structures stored in a databaseare well known in the art.

An exemplary task model is further illustrated in FIG. 4. As showntherein, the task model 400 comprises a plurality of states 402-412 eachdescribing a particular state that is meaningful to the task beingdescribed. Transitions between states are based at least in part uponthe occurrence of known or anticipated actions within the environment.To the extent that one or more of the various states may be definedrelative to specific elements in the environment, the known actions maybe specifically defined relative to a corresponding element. Forexample, actions that cause state transitions may include, but are notlimited to, approaching an element with a velocity within a velocityrange, approaching an element at a distance within a distance range,entering or exiting a specific area within the environment, entering orexiting the area in specific directions or residing within an area for aperiod of time. Additional exemplary actions may include genericmovements typically defined relative to a specific element, such asturning, left-to-right or right-to-left movement, forward or backwardmovement, up or down movement, etc. Furthermore, in addition to singlemovements (e.g., move up), actions can also be defined as compoundmovements (e.g., move up and turn) or they can be defined as having aspecific length or magnitude (e.g., move left at least two feet). Thosehaving skill in the art will appreciate that a broad range of specificactions to be recognized may be defined in a variety of ways as a matterof design choice.

Referring once again to the specific example shown in FIG. 4, in a firststate 402 entitled “environment unattended”, the action of an entityentering into the environment causes a transition to a second state 404entitled “environment attended”. A subsequent exit by the entity causesa transition back to the first state 402. Alternatively, while in thesecond state 404, either of two alternative actions entitled “handreaches for valve 1” or “hand reaches for valve 2” are specificallydefined. Recognition of the former causes a transition to a third state406 labeled “intend to use valve 1”. A further consequence of transitionto the third state 406 is the initiation of a system action 420, in thiscase the display of a warning and/or the presentation of traininginformation. Within the third state 406, a potential known actionlabeled “valve 1 turned,” if recognized, will cause a further transitionto a fourth state 408 labeled “valve 1 open”. Alternatively, while inthe second state 404, recognition of the known action labeled “handreaches for valve 2” causes transition to a fifth state 410 labeled“intent to use valve 2” and, relative to the fifth state 410, furtherrecognition of the action labeled “valve 2 turned” causes a furthertransition to a sixth state 412 labeled “valve 2 open”. In thisinstance, entry into the sixth state 412 results in a different systemaction 422 in which information confirming performance of a correctaction is provided to the entity. As used herein, a system actioncomprises any effect or consequence initiated within the system 100 inresponse to a recognition of action or failure to recognize an action.By way of non-limiting example, a system action may be as simple asmaintaining the current state or transitioning to another state, or ascomplex as causing an output to be provided to the entity.

As shown, a single task model is illustrated in FIG. 4. However,multiple task models can be defined for a given environment, whichmultiple task models may have overlapping states. In this manner, thepresent invention is able to account for the possibility of performingmultiple tasks at the same time, or for the possibility of switchingback and forth between tasks. For example, both a first and second taskmodel may include a state called “pump A turned on”. In the first taskmodel, a transition-inducing action while in the “pump A turned on”state may be “reach for switch B”, whereas in the second task model, atransition-inducing action while in the “pump A turned on” state may be“reach for supply valve C”. If the “reach for supply valve C” action issubsequently recognized, this will have no effect on the first taskmodel while simultaneously inducing a state transition in the secondtask model. By simultaneously maintaining state data for multiplemodels, the system can recognize a transition from one task to another,or the performance of multiple simultaneous tasks. Further still, ifstate transitions in multiple task models indicate the simultaneous oralternating performance of multiple tasks, the system can furtherrecognize the proper performance of a complex task, or performance ofincompatible tasks (e.g., alternating performance of “start pump X” and“close input valve Y”) or potentially dangerous tasks (e.g.,simultaneous performance of the “arm the weapon” and “begin countdown”tasks). In any of these cases, appropriate information may be providedto the entity performing the multiple tasks.

As noted above, the controller 102 uses the state information and knownactions provided by the one or more task models to analyze the positiondata provided by the positioning system 104 and thereby recognize theoccurrence of actions within the environment 106. Furthermore, thecontroller 102 may be coupled to a second database 109 comprisinginformation that may be selectively provided to the entity 108 based onthe actions recognized by the controller 102. The information includedwithin the second database 109 may include information represented inany suitable format or media for presentation to the entity 108 via thecommunication unit 116 and intervening communication system 114. Forexample, the information may comprise recorded audio, still image orvideo instructions for performing a task, or warnings concerningperformance of the task, or information concerning other events withinor external to the environment 106. The present invention is not limitedwith regard to the format or content of the information within thesecond database 109. Furthermore, techniques for deploying databases asmay be used in connection with the controller 102 are well known tothose having skill in the art.

In an additional aspect of the present invention, actions recognized andinterpreted by the controller 102 may be associated with event datacaptured by an event capture system 118 and provided to a loggingcontroller 124 as shown. As used herein, event data is information aboutthe occurrence of an event or the state of an element or area, withoutregard to the representational format of the information or media inwhich it is stored. As such, the event capture system 118 may comprise,by way of non-limiting examples, a video or image surveillance system,an audio recording system, a system of environmental sensors, a systemfor reporting the state of various pieces of equipment, combinations ofsuch systems, etc. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the eventcapture system 118 is associated with an area or region 120 that may ormay not overlap with the environment 106. For example, when thecontroller 102 recognizes that a certain action has been performed on acertain element within the environment 106, it may be desirable tocapture event data corresponding to the performance of the action uponthe element. Alternatively, it may be desirable to capture event datacorresponding to an area or element that is only partially within, orentirely external to, the environment 106.

Regardless, under the direction of the controller 102, the loggingcontroller 124 may be instructed to obtain the necessary event data fromthe event capture system 118 and thereafter associate the action(provided by the controller 102 to the logging controller 124) with theevent data in any suitable manner. Optionally, the event capture system118 may communicate directly with the controller 102 as a matter ofdesign choice. Further still, information obtained directly by thecontroller 102 from elements 112 within the environment 106 mayconstitute event data as contemplated herein. In a presently preferredembodiment, the logging controller 124 stores information about actionsrecognized by the controller 102 and the associated event data in a logdata database 126. The event data provided by the event capture system118 may comprise data represented in virtually any suitable media formatsuch as audio, still images, text, full motion video or any othersuitable format. Furthermore, when associating the recognized actionswith the captured event data, the recognized action may be used toannotate or index the captured event data. For example, where the eventdata comprises video data, the recognized action associated with thatcaptured video data may be used to provide text annotation in the formof an overlay in the video data. Other suitable techniques forassociating the recognized actions with the captured event data areknown to those of skill in the art.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing actionrecognition in accordance with the present invention. In a presentlypreferred embodiment, the processing illustrated in FIG. 2, except asotherwise noted, is carried out as steps performed by an appropriatelyprogrammed, processor-equipped device such as the controller 102 shownin FIG. 1. However, those having ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that other implementation platforms such as programmablelogic or application specific integrated circuits may be equallyemployed to implement the processing illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore,centralized processing, i.e., by a single device, is not required and adistributed processing scheme may be equally employed. Regardless, atblock 202 position data is determined via a PPS 104. As described above,the position data comprises one or more sets of spatial coordinatesreflecting movement of an entity within an environment covered by theprecision positioning system. In the context of FIG. 2, thedetermination of the position data may simply comprise receiving theposition data from the precision positioning system or, in an alternateembodiment, may comprise receiving raw data directly from the detectorswithin the positioning system and further processing the raw data inorder to determine the actual position data. In a preferred embodiment,the position data comprises a periodic stream of spatial coordinates attime intervals sufficient to capture specific movements of interest. Forexample, position data received at a frequency of once per second may beinsufficient to discriminate between relatively quick movements of thehands. In applications where such precision is required, the frequencyof the position data may be increased to several times per second asknown in the art. Alternatively, where such precision is not required orwhere there is a desire to reduce the quantity of position data, thefrequency may be decreased.

As position data is received or otherwise determined, processingcontinues at block 204 where the position data is compared with one ormore known actions corresponding to one or more predetermined tasksdefined within the environment. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment,the one or more known actions may be defined relative to a particularelement within the environment. For example, relative to a valve withinan environment, known actions may comprise turning the valve to the leftor right. Alternatively, for a lever within the environment, knownactions may comprise moving the lever in one direction or in theopposite direction. Those having skill in the art will appreciate thatthese are merely simple illustrations of the general concept of definingactions relative to specific elements upon which such actions may beperformed. To the extent that movements within space may be representedas a series of spatial coordinates over a period of time, the knownactions may be compared with the position data determined at block 202.For example, where spatial coordinates are described asthree-dimensional {x, y, z} coordinates, a simple movement such asmoving from left to right may be defined as a series of spatialcoordinates in which two of the three spatial coordinates (e.g., the yand z coordinates) remain substantially the same, whereas the thirdspatial coordinate (e.g., the x coordinate) changes in a relativelyuniform manner. Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat any of a variety of moments may be defined in this manner as aseries of spatial coordinates over a period of time. With actionsdefined in this manner, the comparison of position data with the actionscan be reduced to a correlation operation (which may comprise operationsof varying complexity, e.g., learned from previous data), withrecognition of an action being indicated by correlation values above arecognition threshold. As known in the art, it may be necessary toappropriately scale, rotate or otherwise normalize the position data inorder to accurately compare the position data and the one or more knownactions.

Regardless, at block 206 it is determined whether the comparison of theposition data with the one or more known actions has compared favorably,e.g., whether correlation between the position data and a known actionhas exceeded a correlation threshold. If not, processing continues atblock 208 wherein an unrecognized action is determined. In this case,processing preferably continues at block 202 where additional positiondata is determined and processing continues as described above. However,it may be desirable to discontinue recognition processing as illustratedby the dashed arrow exiting block 208. Conversely, if the comparison isfavorable, the processing continues at block 210 where a recognizedaction is returned. For example, each of the known actions may haveassociated therewith an identifier such as a text label or similarmechanism that may be used to distinguish the known actions from eachother. Thus, when one of the known actions is identified through thecomparison process, the corresponding identification may be returned forfurther processing.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic block diagram of an exemplaryimplementation of action recognition and interpretation in accordancewith the present invention is further illustrated. In particular, theimplementation shown in FIG. 3 may be used to carry out the processingdescribed above relative to FIG. 2. An action detector 302 is providedthat takes as input the position data provided by the PPS 104 as well asmodel state information 306 and known actions from the task model 304.In a presently preferred embodiment, the action detector 302 isimplemented by one or more processes implemented by the controller 102shown in FIG. 1. Both the task model 304 and model state information 306are preferably stored as one or more data structures in suitable storagedevices, such as the first database 107 illustrated in FIG. 1.Optionally, an entity recognition system 308 may be employed to provideinformation identifying specific entities. In practice, particularlywhere the PPS 104 employs uniquely identifiable tags, this function maybe subsumed within the PPS 104. However, systems such as facialrecognition systems, keycard systems or other systems known to those ofskill in the art may be employed for this purpose. The actionrecognition process may take into account the identity of the entityperforming the action, as provided by the recognition system 308. Thismay be useful, for example, in enforcing compliance with authorizationsfor various tasks.

As described above relative to FIG. 2, the action detector 302 receivesposition data from the PPS 104 or, at least, raw data from the PPS 104sufficient for the action detector 302 to determine the position data.Based on the one or more task models 304 and state information 306, asdescribed above, the action detector 302 determines whether a givenaction has been recognized and provides a suitable output 310 to thateffect. For example, the output 310 may comprise one or more true/falsevalues corresponding to at least one known actions for each of one ormore task models. Alternatively, or in addition, the output 310 maycomprise an identifier of the specific action recognized. As shown, theaction detector 302 may update the model state information 306 based onthe outcome of the action recognition process.

Referring now to FIG. 5, processing in accordance with an additionalembodiment of the present invention is further illustrated. As before,the processing illustrated in FIG. 5, except as otherwise noted, iscarried out as steps performed by an appropriately programmed,processor-equipped device such as the controller 102 shown in FIG. 1.However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatother implementation platforms such as programmable logic or applicationspecific integrated circuits may be equally employed to implement theprocessing illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, centralized processing isnot required and a distributed processing scheme may be equallyemployed. Thus, at block 502, one or more task models are provided,preferably in the form of stored data structures, as described above. Inone aspect of the present invention, a user interface provided by thecontroller 102 may be used to manage the deployment and maintenance oftask models. As an initialization procedure, at block 504, for each taskmodel, a current state is set corresponding to an initial state for thattask. Thereafter, at block 506, position data is determined as describedabove. The position data is subsequently compared with one or more knownactions for the current state at block 508. As described previously, forany given state, one or more known actions may be provided as a templateagainst which the position data may be compared in order to recognizecertain actions being performed by an entity within the environment.Proceeding to block 510, one or more system actions may be initiatedbased on the correspondence of the position data to the one or moreknown actions. As used herein, “correspondence” may cover a spectrum ofvalues from a complete lack of correspondence as in the case where theposition data does not match any of the known actions all the way toexact correspondence between the position data and one of the knownactions. As a result, the system action initiated based on thecorrespondence may be completely different depending on the degree ofthe correspondence. Simultaneously, at block 512, event data is capturedand/or indexed in accordance with any action recognized at block 510.Thereafter, at block 514 processing may optionally continue by updatingthe state based on the recognition (or lack of recognition) of an actionas determined at block 510.

As described above, the present invention provides a technique forrecognizing and interpreting actions performed by an entity within anenvironment. This is achieved through the use of a precision positioningsystem the provides position data for comparison against known tasksdefined in task models. When the position data leads to a recognizedaction, one or more system actions may be initiated, including theprovision of information to the entity or the capture and recording ofevent data in association with the recognized action. For at least thesereasons, the present invention represents an advancement over prior arttechniques.

While the particular preferred embodiments of the present invention havebeen shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat changes and modifications may be made without departing from theteachings of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that thepresent invention cover any and all modifications, variations orequivalents that fall within the scope of the basic underlyingprinciples disclosed above and claimed herein.

1. In an environment comprising a precision positioning system adaptedto provide position information corresponding to an entity within theenvironment and an entity recognition system adapted to provideinformation identifying the entity, a method of recognizing an actionundertaken by the entity within the environment, the method comprising:determining, by the entity recognition system, an identity of theentity; determining, by the precision positioning system, position datacorresponding to at least a portion of the entity within theenvironment, the environment comprising a space substantially largerthan the entity; comparing the position data to at least one knownaction corresponding to a predetermined task within the environment;recognizing the action when the position data compares favorably withthe at least one known action; and determining whether the entity isauthorized to perform the action based on the identity of the entity. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one known action is definedrelative to an element within the environment.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the at least one known action comprises at least one of:approaching the element with a velocity within a velocity range orapproaching the element at a distance within a distance range.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the entity comprises the element and whereinthe at least one known action comprises movement of the element.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one known action comprises,relative to an area, at least one of: entering the area, exiting thearea, entering the area from an entry direction, exiting the area at anexit direction or remaining within the area for a period of time.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one known action comprisesmovements of a predetermined length.
 7. A system for recognizing anaction performed by an entity within an environment, comprising: anentity recognition system, associated with the environment and adaptedto determine an identity of the entity; a precision positioning systemcomprising a plurality of detectors associated with the environment; atleast one tag, physically associated with the entity and incommunication with at least some of the plurality of detectors, whereinthe precision positioning system via the at least some of the pluralityof detectors provides position data corresponding to the at least onetag, the position data describing the action by the entity; and acontroller, in communication with the plurality of detectors and theentity recognition system, operative to recognize the action based oncorrespondence of the position data to one or more reference actionscorresponding to a predetermined task within the environment and todetermine whether the entity is authorized to perform the action basedon the identity of the entity.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein theprecision positioning system comprises an ultra-wideband positioningsystem.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the entity comprises a human,and wherein the at least one tag is configured to be physicallyassociated with any extremity of the human.
 10. The system of claim 7,further comprising: a first database, in communication with thecontroller, comprising data structures corresponding to at least onetask model describing a plurality of states and, for each of theplurality of states, at least one known action to provide the one ormore references actions.
 11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:a second database, in communication with the controller, comprisinginformation to be selectively provided to the entity based on theaction.
 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a communicationsystem coupled to the controller operative to send selected informationto the entity; and a communication device, operative within thecommunication system and associated with the entity, for receiving theselected information and providing the selected information to theentity.
 13. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a loggingcontroller, in communication with the controller, operative to recordthe occurrence of the action in a third database coupled to the loggingcontroller.
 14. The system of claim 13, further comprising: an eventcapture system, coupled to the logging controller, that provides eventdata based on the position data, wherein the logging controllerassociates the occurrence of the action with at least a portion of theevent data in the third database.
 15. The system of claim 14, whereinthe event data capture system is associated with the environment. 16.The system of claim 7, wherein the entity recognition system comprisesat least one of a facial recognition system and a keycard system.
 17. Anapparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one storagedevice, coupled to the at least one processor, comprisingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at leastone processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive, from anentity recognition system associated with an environment comprising aspace substantially larger than an entity within the environment, anidentity of the entity; receive, from a precision positioning systemadapted to provide position information corresponding to the entity,position data corresponding to at least a portion of the entity withinthe environment; compare the position data to one or more referenceactions corresponding to a predetermined task within the environment;recognize the action when the position data compares favorably with areference action of the one or more reference actions; and determinewhether the entity is authorized to perform the action based on theidentity of the entity.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the atleast one storage device further comprises data structures correspondingto a task model for the predetermined task describing a plurality ofstates and, for each of the plurality of states, at least one knownaction to provide the one or more references actions, and wherein the atleast one storage device further comprises processor-executableinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe at least one processor to: initiate at least one system action basedon a current state of the plurality of states and correspondence of theposition data to the at least one known action.